The U.S Supreme Court case Bell et al. v. Maryland in 1963 revolved around the issue of racial discrimination in public accommodations, specifically a Baltimore restaurant that refused service to African American patrons. The appellants were twelve African Americans who had been convicted for criminal trespass by the Maryland state courts after staging a sit-in protest at Hooper's Restaurant, which maintained racially discriminatory policies despite anti-discrimination laws being enacted by local government bodies. The defendants argued their convictions violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights and appealed to the Supreme Court after losing in lower courts. The Supreme Court did not make an immediate decision on whether or not these actions violated constitutional rights but instead vacated and remanded the judgment back to Maryland’s highest court due to changes in local law since initial proceedings - namely, Baltimore City had passed an ordinance prohibiting racial segregation or discrimination in all restaurants during this period. This case was significant as it highlighted ongoing struggles against racial segregation during the Civil Rights Movement era and indicated how changing legislation could impact legal outcomes.

In the dissenting opinion for Bell et al. v. Maryland, Justice Harlan argued that the case should be dismissed as moot because a new law had been passed in Maryland prohibiting racial discrimination in public accommodations since the original trial took place. He believed that this change in legislation fundamentally altered the legal context of the case and rendered any decision by the Supreme Court irrelevant to current circumstances. Furthermore, he contended that it was not within their jurisdiction to rule on matters of state law unless there were federal constitutional issues at stake, which he did not believe existed here due to changes made by local authorities prior to appeal reaching them. Thus, according to him, they should refrain from making decisions about state laws when those laws have already been changed or repealed.